Champs & Chumps - The Oakland A's and Team USA

In sports, there are always teams and players who rise to greatness and perform their best under pressure. These are the champs. There are also teams and players who fold under pressure or who don't show enough energy or desire to win big games. These are the chumps. The LA Lakers and the Williams sisters are champs while the LA Clippers and Phil Mickelson are chumps. Tell Kidzworld what you think about this week's sports chumps and champs or vote in our online poll above.

The Champs

The Chumps

The Champs - Oakland A'sWithout a doubt, this week's champs are the Oakland Athletics. The A's set an American League record by winning 20 games in a row and moving to the top of the baseball standings. In their record-breaking victory, the A's blew an 11-0 lead against the Kansas City Royals, before Scott Hatteberg hit the game-winning homerun in the bottom of the 10th inning. That's winning in style and it makes the Oakland A's true champs.

The Chumps - USA Basketball TeamHow does a team of NBA All-Stars includig Paul Pierce, Baron Davis, Michael Finley, Jermaine O'Neal and Elton Brand lose back-to-back games on home court against a team of no-names from Argentina and a group of marginally talented hoopsters from Yugoslavia? That's the question being asked by American b-ball fans after the United States' basketball team, made up of NBA millionaires, was knocked out of the medal round at the 2002 World Basketball Championships being played in Indianapolis. The roster of "NBA stars" played lazy defence, missed easy shots and looked like rookies in their two losses to the Yugoslavs and Argentinians. In other words, they played like true chumps.

What do you think about this week's champs and chumps? and vote in the online poll above.

Talk about your experiences on your journey to making it to the NBA if you share this dream, and how it is coming along from the beginning to now. I can offer some advice to help along the way whether it be effective workouts or how to excel in your school's basketball team.